Marilia Aisenstein on ‘The Indissociable Unity of Psyche and Soma: A View From the Paris Psychosomatic School’ (IJP, 2006).

Marilia Aisenstein describes her personal journey into the field of psychosomatics, from a notable childhood experience in Greece to her academic background in philosophy and subsequent psychoanalytic training, including her experiences at the Paris Psychosomatic Institute under the mentorship of Pierre Marty. She articulates how trauma, particularly loss, can manifest somatically and the necessity to apply certain analytical techniques when working with such patients. She reflects on the theoretical underpinnings of psychosomatics as an evolution within psychoanalysis, invoking some of the key ideas of Freud and particularly Ferenczi, who by placing emphasis on the complexity of trauma and traumatic situations could perhaps be considered the grandfather of the Paris School of Psychosomatics.